How Kuje Model School students study in shanties

As one approaches, one has to shield the eyes from the blinding effect of this contact. This discomfort is however mild when compared with the discomfort of pupils and teachers in the classrooms who are drenched in sweat from the simmering heat absorbed by the zinc coatings. The pupils resort to fanning themselves with their […]

As one approaches, one has to shield the eyes from the blinding effect of this contact. This discomfort is however mild when compared with the discomfort of pupils and teachers in the classrooms who are drenched in sweat from the simmering heat absorbed by the zinc coatings. The pupils resort to fanning themselves with their books, barely concentrating while the teachers carry on with lessons.  “The heat is tiring,” one of the teachers lamented.

There are only two blocks of classrooms in the school built through the Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) years ago. The two blocks of classrooms house the school’s nursery school section; the makeshift zinc classrooms, all together six in number accommodate primary one to six pupils.

Mr. Daniels Npita, the school’s head teacher said the school has been in existence since 2006 with only two classrooms that were built with concrete blocks by the Universal Basic Education Board, (UBEB) which the nursery pupils are now occupying because they are too fragile to withstand the heat from the zinc. He said since then, no attempt has been made to build more classes for the school.

“Notwithstanding, my pupils are doing very great in their academics unlike other schools in Kuje.  In facts a lot of parents in spite of our condition are bringing their wards to study here,” he said.

Mr. Daniels said the zinc classrooms were built with the assistance of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) in the school so that their children will not have to leave the school completely. This was even after several letters were written to the UBEB about the condition of the school.

“They all came together after meetings we had, and decided to raise money to enable us build makeshift classrooms for the pupils as temporary abode pending when government decides to intervene,” he recalls.

The school, he said, has a total number of 445 pupils comprising of nursery and primary pupils who during the raining season, those in the zinc classrooms will have to relocate to the nursery section to avoid being beaten by rain. Sometimes when the sun’s heat intensifies, the pupils in the zinc classrooms relocate to the nursery classrooms.

Mr. Daniels explained that the students also lack chairs and desk, especially in the nursery classes which has resulted in some pupils sitting on the floor to study. “If these pupils while in this condition can be better than their counterparts from other schools that have more comfortable conditions, then they can do much better if their classroom conditions are improved,” he said.

One of the pupil’s parents, Mallam Aliu Ndagi who works with the Kuje Area Council  told Weekly Trust how proud he is of his daughter, Aisha’s academic performance who is a primary two pupil. He said her English is good enough. He said they had to come up with the idea of constructing classrooms with zinc because they prefer to keep their ward to learn in the school rather than taking them to another school where the quality of teaching is poor.

Another parent, Alhaji Umar Musa who also works with the area council as the chairman on youth and empowerment told Weekly Trust how his daughter who is a primary three pupil can read and write very well. He said the PTA committee in the school has tried times without number to meet with the chairman or the area council so that they can assist them to build some classrooms for the students so that they may be comfortable.

He also explained that the reason why he chooses to bring his daughter to the school to study even though it lacks proper accommodation for the students was because he knows how the head teacher and even the teachers go the extra miles to see that the pupils learn faster and understand what they are being taught.

Alh Musa said out of the 20 pupils in the school who wrote the common entrance examination into federal government colleges this year, 14 of them gained admission.

Mr. Magaji S. Ceasar, a primary six teacher who has been with the school for about 3 years told Weekly Trust how difficult it is for him to teach  students under heat conditions. He said as an adult, he cannot stand much heat talk more of the young ones he teaches.

Adejumobi Lizzy, a primary two teacher said she has been in the school for about two years and she keeps looking forward to the  day government will come to their aid by building classes for the students so that the constant headache she gets from teaching under uncomfortable conditions for over six hours will stop.

Even pupils like 11- year-old Williams Lami who is in primary six and has the ambition of becoming a medical doctor when she grows up pleaded with the federal government to build proper classrooms for them so that she can pursue her dreams properly. Also, 10-year-old John who is the present head boy of the school said he wants the government to help him realize his dreams in life by answering their calls for more comfortable classroom accommodation.